In memory of our brother and son, Robert Bagnell,
who died moments after being tasered by police in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 23, 2004. Bob was the 7th Canadian to die and the 110th in North America.

WELCOME to TRUTH ... not TASERS

Thursday, May 07, 2009

A Southern Alberta man is dead after an RCMP officer used a stun gun to subdue him, but investigators said it's "unclear whether the device was successfully deployed."

Grant William Prentice, 40, of the small city of Brooks, southeast of Calgary, died Wednesday night in the local hospital after a police officer stunned him with a Taser, a gun designed to incapacitate people with an electric shock.

The incident happened in a residential cul-de-sac called Lake Bevan Place.

RCMP gave few details, instead referring questions to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), which looks into deaths and serious complaints in the province involving police officers.

In a news release issued Thursday afternoon, ASIRT said police were called to the cul-de-sac at about 7:30 p.m. MT Wednesday.

"The male was approaching residents and asking for help and attempted to forcibly enter one home," the release said. Neighbours phoned police, who arrived with an ambulance, because Prentice was said to be injured.

"Two officers arrived at the scene and tried to take the man into custody. A struggle ensued and one officer attempted to subdue the male with his conducted energy device. At this point, it's unclear whether the device was successfully deployed. Two more RCMP officers arrived and the man was eventually handcuffed," the release said.

An ambulance crew assessed Prentice and took him to the Brooks hospital, where he died at 8:30 p.m.

ASIRT said Prentice was "known" to police. According to court records, Prentice was charged with causing a disturbance in 2001 and fined.

'RCMP regrets the outcome'

Mayor Martin Shields said he knew Prentice, who was born and raised in Brooks. Shields told CBC News he spoke to the man's parents Thursday morning, and they are devastated.

A neighbour, who wouldn't give his name, told CBC News he saw a disoriented, unarmed man believed to be in his thirties stumbling across the cul-de-sac. The neighbour took his daughter inside and didn't see the arrest.

Besides ASIRT, RCMP also notified the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP of the incident.

"The RCMP regrets the outcome of this tragic incident.... RCMP offers its condolences and support to the family as they deal with their loss," the force said in a statement. "Although the RCMP is not subject to ASIRT's jurisdiction over police officers in Alberta, it has and will continue to be a strong supporter of the ASIRT model."

An autopsy will be performed Friday in Calgary.

During question period in the Alberta legislature Thursday, Alberta NDP Leader Brian Mason called on the government to ban Taser use because believes the devices are not safe and are being improperly used by police.

But Alberta's solicitor general, Fred Lindsay, defended the stun gun's effectiveness, saying he has not heard a public outcry against the devices.

"I don't get a lot of comments. You certainly hear the concerns, but then when the evidence comes out — and there's really no evidence to support the fact that these instruments have caused any deaths in Canada — then they're a tool that protects the public, and we hear numerous times about how they save lives," he said.

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taser-Related Deaths = 1043+ in North America

See "A LIST OF THE DEAD"According to Taser International, the taser had nothing to do with any of these deaths. According to a Reuters investigation, Shock Tactics - Part 1 - The Toll, published on August 22, 2017, more than 150 autopsy reports have cited tasers as the cause or contributor to deaths across the U.S. That number may be higher; however medical examiners and coroners are often not impartial but are instead biased in favour of the Crown or, as has been shown, they are under tremendous pressure from - among others - Taser International, to make a particular finding.See Judge rules for Taser in cause-of-death decisions

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Taser International finally admits risk that their weapons may affect the human heart

RCMP - TASERS POTENTIALLY LETHAL

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My Brother - Robert Bagnell June 27, 1959 - June 23, 2004

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2) Until such time as independent and unbiased study into the "real world" safety implications of Tasers has been properly completed, a moratorium must be imposed upon these weapons.

3) If, after independent and unbiased study has been completed, the Taser is going to remain in the police arsenal, it must be placed at a level equal to lethal force on the continuum of force and used only as a second-to-last resort.

4) Safety standards must be developed for Tasers. There are currently no Canadian safety standards in place for this weapon.

5) Police must not be allowed to investigate themselves but must be subject to independent and unbiased civilian oversight.

6) Families of people who die in police custody in Canada must be provided with funding so that they may be properly represented by legal counsel.

07. Robert Bagnell, 44 – Vancouver, BC - June 23, 2004 - X26 - "Official" cause of death: Consistent with restraint-associated cardiac arrest due to acute cocaine intoxication and psychosis. Bob's autopsy report showed marks on his body consistent to multiple taser shots, which incidently could not be affirmed by the pathologist because she could not explain those marks.

09. Samuel Truscott, 43 – Kingston, ON - August 8, 2004 - X26 - "Official" cause of death: Heart attack cause by drug overdose and "I can state categorically that the Taser did not play any role whatsoever in his death" said Chief Coroner for Ontario, Jim Cairns

24. Michael Langan, 17, Winnipeg, MB - July 22, 2008 - tasered 1 time - the autopsy report says Langan's death was caused by a heart arrhythmia brought on by the Taser shocks

25. Sean Reilly, 42 - Brampton, ON - September 17, 2008 - Peel Regional Police - X26 - tasered 2 times - the inquest jury will determine the official cause of death, however, “the forensic evidence indicated that the force used by the officers, including the Taser discharge, did not contribute to his death"

27. Trevor Grimolfson, 38 - Edmonton, AB - October 29, 2008, X26 - According to sources, after he was pepper sprayed, Trevor was tasered directly on the chest 5 times and tasered on the back of the neck 2 more times - Edmonton police said he was only tasered 2 times but testing on the tasers proves otherwise - "Official" cause of death: excited delirium brought on by drugs

29. Grant William Prentice, 40 - Brooks, AB - May 6, 2009 - RCMP - tasered 2 times - "Official" cause of death: acute cocaine toxicity and "the medical examiner also concluded the taser did not play a role in the death"

Ain't it the truth!

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80% percent of the population could be moved in either direction

Human rights activist Susan Sontag, when asked what she had learned from the Holocaust, said that 10 percent of any population is cruel, no matter what, and that 10 percent is merciful, no matter what, and that the remaining 80 percent could be moved in either direction.

THE Successes AREN'T the Problem

"The issue is not whether or not the taser can be used in a high percentage of cases to reduce death and/or physical trauma to officers and civilians alike. The issue is whether or not it's OK to kill the rest through ignorance and rationalization just because it's a small percentage ... The successes aren't the problem - the failures are. They're being told that tasers are nonlethal, so they blast away until people can't move. They're killing people by accident." Dave Siegler, father of Raymond Siegler, who died on February 12, 2004

The artistic side of Robert Bagnell

WE KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE

ROBERT ANGLEN

Robert Anglen, a reporter with The Arizona Republic, documented the first 167 Taser-related deaths. Mr. Anglen launched a journalistic investigation of Taser International, linking the Taser to multiple deaths, among other eye-openers.

At the 2005 Arizona Press Club Awards, Mr. Anglen won first place in the Investigative reporting category. He was the recipient of the Don Bolles Award for his report entitled "Taser tied to 'independent' study that backs stun gun'. “As part of an extraordinarily thorough investigation of Taser International, Anglen uncovered ‘smoking gun’ documents that showed the manufacturer was heavily involved in the key study that purported the devices are safe. Anglen also uncovered conflicts of interest and documented wide-spread problems with Taser safety — a matter of national and international public interest.”

In 2006, Mr. Anglen was a runner up for the Arizona Press Club's Virg Hill Journalist of the Year award. Peter Bhatia of The Oregonian wrote “Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter, pure and simple. Clearly, he is a reporter who, once he sinks his teeth into something, stays with it until the story is done. His ongoing work around the company that makes Tasers speaks to that."